You did the right thing by not disturbing it to get a better ID :) They are
very tricky to ID when perched. All of the nightjars are cryptic with similar
patterns (at least to my eye) and size is difficult to judge. I usually look
for the white band on the wing - sometimes you can see it as a white patch just
under/behind the gray wing plumage when they are perched, but I emphasize
sometimes. It’s easier to see on a Lesser Nighthawk since the white band is
closer to the wing tip. Nine times out of 10, if it’s a nightjar and I spot it,
it’s a nighthawk! The others blend in so well on the ground that I rarely see
them before I flush them. I feel bad for the one in South Padre, but it’s
really cool that you had one in hand! Glad it sounds like it made its way after
resting.
Jennifer
Jennifer Miller
Lubbock, TX
(o,o)
/)_)
" "
Email: foundnatureblog@xxxxxxxxx
Blog:
https://foundnature.weebly.com/
On Aug 19, 2021, at 10:52 PM, WILLIAM WENTHE <wwenthe@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jennifer, thanks for the query.
I might revise that report. I was thinking poorwill because it seemed
stockier than a nighthawk. But I've only seen one of each of these perching,
in my lifetime. Usually I've seen them flying. However, the wings on this
one did protrude beyond the tail, and now that I've checked the field guide,
I think that would point to nighthawk. I thought of flushing it to get a
better I.D., but didn't want to disturb it.
The sizes of these birds is hard to gauge. In flight, nighthawks seem rather
big; but this thing perched seemed rather small. Many years ago, in South
Padre, I found a nightjar that had gotten itself trapped between two sets of
glass doors in a hotel. It was dazed. It was either a Paraque or
Chuck-Will's-Widow (seems they're even harder to identify close-up), but
holding it in my hands it seemed GIGANTIC. (I set it outside under a hedge
to recover, which I think it did as I checked there later.)
Bill
On Thursday, August 19, 2021, 10:27:52 PM CDT, Jennifer Miller
<foundnatureblog@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Poorwill or nighthawk? I’ve seen nighthawks sit on fences, but not
poorwills...although there is a first time for everything! Either way,
thanks for letting us know. I haven’t seen either in quite some time :/
Jennifer
Jennifer Miller
Lubbock, TX
(o,o)
/)_)
" "
Email: foundnatureblog@xxxxxxxxx
Blog:
https://foundnature.weebly.com/
On Aug 19, 2021, at 9:25 PM, WILLIAM WENTHE <wwenthe@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Had a poorwill sitting on the rail of an iron fence on Wednesday (8/18), in
Hockley County.
Bill Wenthe
